The iconic glass pyramid at the Louvre is getting a dramatic update from French street artist JR. The Musée du Louvre invited him to wrap the internationally recognized structure, designed by I. M. Pei, in artwork of his choosing. He decided to camouflage the pyramid by covering it entirely with enlarged photographs of the 16th-century architecture surrounding it. The purpose of the installation, according to the artist, is to transport museumgoers to a time before technology impeded social interactions and the way we experience art. JR isn’t necessarily against today’s selfie culture, but he is concerned about the lack of consciousness social media encourages. People quite literally turn their backs on works of art in order to snap a photo with it, so this piece is intended to make audiences interact and collectively question the building’s absence.

Street view of JR's art piece.

Over several days, a team of six carefully installed the enlarged photos over the pyramid’s nearly 700 glass segments, helping the glass structure that symbolizes the intersection of French tradition and modernity to disappear before the city’s eyes. JR said he hopes to stimulate the debate that once ran rampant in France, particularly in the 1980s when the pyramid was built, about old and new worlds colliding.

To fuel further conversation about the state of French art and architecture in the modern world, JR will also be taking over the museum at 3 P.M. on May 28. He will curate a series of workshops, film screenings, and a concert featuring Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds. Participants in the festivities include artist Daniel Buren, filmmaker Agnès Varda, model Cara Delevingne, and rock band Arcade Fire.

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